Apparatus for separating solids of different gravities



F. PARDEE 2,287,747

APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING SOLIDS OF DIFFERENT GRAVITIES June 23, 1942.

Filed March 8, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. fen N/(BI RDEE.

ATTORNEY.

June 23, 1942. F, PARDEE 2,287; 747

APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING SOLIDS OF DIFFERENT GRAVITIES Filed March 8, 1940. 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. [E4 NK .ZDARQEE'.

WATTORNEY.

Patented June 23, 1942 UNITED STATES: PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING soLIDs 0F DIFFERENT GRAVITIES Frank Pardee, Hazletorr, E'a'.-,- a'ss'ignorto Anthracite Separator Company, Hazlet'on, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application March 8, 1940', Serial No. 322,883 13 Claims. (Serial No. '209+-456) My invention relates to an apparatus for separating solids of (inherent densities 'or diiierent specific gravities such, forexample, as a mixture of coal and slate, and more particularly to improvements onan apparatus of the above type disclosed in my co-pending applications Ser. No. 243,733 filed December 1938', now Patent No. 2,109,091 and Ser. No. 280,025, filed June 20, 1939-, now Patent No. 2,205;432.

In the method and apparatus described in my co-pend'ing applications, the mixture of slate and coal or other materials of different densities is supplied to an inclined surface, as for example, a conical or frusto conical surface.

While stratification is advantageous: the method and apparatus operate satisfactorily without stratification.

As the buoying liquid then flows downwardly over the'inclined plate it carries with it the lighter The clined surface is perforated or otherwise permaterial. and the densities As a result the lighter materials are particles. The heavier, particles are moved upwardly over the inclined surface by a scraper, for example, a: spiral scraper whena conical inclined surface isiused',,which is, rotatedin such amanner as gradually to move the: lower, heavier, stratum upwardly to. an upper discharge edge as, for

example, acentral" opening in an upwardly inclined conical? surface. The lighter material overflows together with the. buoyant liquid into an annular receiving trough in which it is caught and from which it is moved mechanically while thebuoying liquid is returned and again forced upwardly through the inclined plate.

present invention increases the effectiveness of the buoying' and movements of separation by confining the pulsating buoyantfluid to the lower part of the plate and preferably also giving it a directional movement suchas to increase the buoying and downwardly moving effect on the lighter particles.

The various features of the invention as applied to a specific embodiment of the invention of Patents 2,199;091' and ,2;205,43 2, for example, are illustrated inthe accompanying drawingsin which V Fig. 1 is a vertical section of an apparatus embodying a preferred form of the invention, and

Fig. 2 is a plan and part horizontal section 'of 'theapparatus taken on lines 2-2 of Fig. 1.

In the accompanying. drawings the invention is shown as applied to a form of embodiment of the invention shown in Patent No. 2,109,091, but it will be understood that it may be applied to other embodiments and may also embody the improvements of Patent No. 2,205,432.

In the embodiment "of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings, the invention is applied to a conical perforated plate I ll having an inner discharge opening ll into which heavier or d'ens'er materi'a1,such as slate or rock, or a mixture or coal and rock is discharged, and the lower outer edge having jan upstanding wall 12 over whicna lighter material; such as coal, is discharged.

The wall l2 extends' downwardly to form an annularchamber beneath the plate Ill: and about the central" opening or discharge passage H. The wall of the central" opening H extends to, and is supported on, an annular base plate I3 on which the wall l2'issupp'orted by an annular ring it. The ring M is provided with openings and plates l5 hinged to swing inwardly and act as ii'i wardly opening check valves to permit the new or liquid "or buoyin'g fluid upwardly and to the annular chamber within the wall 12. The wal-l'i2 is enclosed in an outer wall It extending upwardly from the base plate l3 to form an annularichambe'r about the wall l2.

the annular chamber between the central discharge passage" H and the outer wall 12 there is provided a hori'zentarveru'caily movable plate i? having openings closed by upwardly swinging doors [8 that act as upwardly opening check valves. The plate I! is supported on and moved upwardly and downwardly tby'a number of vertical rods IS that extend upwardly through suit- I able stufiing boxes 20 in theifloor or bottom wall i3'and are in turn supported by a vertical movable cross head 21' that may be moved up and down bya walking beam22' to which it is con-'- n'ected' by a clevis' 23.

' As the walking b'eamo'rlever 22 tilts in opposit'e directions on a fulcrum 2'4" it alternately li-fts thehead 21 and lowers it, and with it rods 19 and plate ll. The upward and downward movement of the plate l'l acts as a piston to lift the liquid above the plate ll through perforations in the plate ID from the upper side of which it flows into the annular chamber between the walls I2 and ll; while water from this chamber flows past the gates or valves l5 into the space below the plate 11. As the plate l'l descends the water below this plate is trapped by the valves and gates 15 and lifts the gates 18 to flow upwardly into the space above the plate I1. With each upward movement of the plate l1, water is forced upwardly through the plate Ill and thence into the annular chamber about the plate, then remains stationary while the plate descends so that there is a periodic upward movement of the water, or buoying liquid, through the plate.

Material of different or differing specific gravities is supplied from a hopper 25 above the plate It! onto an annular distributing ring or mechanism 26 from which it is distributed by a rotating spiral scraper 21 in an annular path of distribution between the center and outer edges of the plate H1, or the spiral scraper 21 may be stationary and the ring or mechanism 26 may rotate.

The material thus supplied is buoyed up by the water, forced upwardly through the plate by the plate H, the lighter material being buoyed more than the heavier or denser, and settling more slowly. The material on the plate In is gradually forced inwardly and upwardly to the center passage or opening I l by means of a spiral scraper, or a number of spiral scrapers 28, closely fitting the upper surface of the plate 10, and rotated in such a direction as to cause the material to be pushed upwardly on the slope of the plate ID to the discharge opening H. The lighter material, however, is not only buoyed up by the buoying liquid, but is washed downwardly as the liquid flows outwardly into the annular space between the walls l2 and It.

To increase this buoying and downward movement of the lighter particles, particularly when particles of the larger sizes are to be separated, the upwardly moving or upwardly surging water is concentrated on the lower part of the plate It}, primarily the part from the lower edge through the feeding zone, thus increasing or concentrating the flow and causing a reflective separation at this place. This may be accomplished by closing the upper part of the cone from the circulation of fluid, as for example, by suitable deflectors or guide means, preferably positioned below the perforated plate Ill. The deflectors may also serve to give these upwardly moving or pulsing streams of water an outwardly flaring direction. The liquid on that part of the plate inwardly of or above the deflector on which there has accumulated mainly the heavier materials such as slate, is relatively quiescent.

In the specific embodiment of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings, the liquid is given a directional movement by means of an inverted frusto conical bafile or plate 29 secured at its outer edge to the inner surface of the plate l2 below plate In and an outwardly flaring or bell shaped bafile or deflector 30 secured at a lower inner edge to the opening I I and curving upwardly and outwardly to the under surface of the plate Ill. The positions of the baffle 29 and the deflector plate 30 are such as to deflect the liquid or fluid, as indicated by the arrows, inwardly under the lower edge of the baffle 29 and thence outwardly and upwardly to that portion of the plate between the upper outer edge of the deflecting edge 30 and the lower edge of the conical plate It). The liquid or fluid is thus delivered with an increased flow and buoying effect to the part of the plate 10 below the delivery edge of the supply plate 26 and downwardly to the lower edge of the plate l0.

It will be understood that the spiral scrapers 28 may be mounted on radially extended spider arms 2| rotated by a vertical shaft 32 in the manner disclosed in my co-pending applications, or may be moved by any other suitable means.

It will be understood that my present invention may be applied equally well to the apparatus described in Patent No. 2,199,091 with which may also be used the improvements described in Patent No. 2,205,432, particularly where apparatus of larger size is employed.

In my present invention the buoying and carrying and separating effect of the circulating or pulsating fluid is greatly improved inasmuch as not only does it tend to lift the particles so that they may subsequently be carried with the liquid to the outer edge, but tend to give them a move ment and a momentum to the lower edge while the liquid is buoying these particles upwardly. This is of great advantage for the rapid separation of the particles, particularly where larger particles are being separated which require a maximum of buoying and moving effect.

What I claim is:

1. Apparatus of the type described which comprises a material-supporting plate permeable to fluid and having an upper central discharge open ing and a peripheral discharge edge, and being inclined radially between said opening and said edge, a spirally positioned scraper movable on the surface of said plate, means to rotate said scraper about a central axis to move material upwardly on said plate toward said central discharge opening, means to supply material to be supported to the upper surface of said plate in an annular path intermediate to said opening and said discharge edge, means to circulate fluid upwardly and outwardly through said plate to buoy the lighter material over said scraper toward the outer end of said plate, and means to prevent the flow of said fluid through a part of said plate above the annular feed path.

2. Apparatus of the type described which comprises a conical material-supporting plate having an upper central discharge opening and a lower peripheral discharge edge, means to carry material on the upper surface of said plate upwardly to said opening, and means to circulate fluid upwardly through the lower part of said plate to buoy the lighter materials to said lower discharge edge and to prevent flow of fluid through the upper part of said plate.

3. Apparatus of the type described which comprises a material-supporting plate of conical curvature having a central discharge opening and a peripheral discharge edge, scrapers movable over the upper surface of said plate to advance material against the slope of said plate, and means to circulate fluid upwardly through said plate to lift the lighter material above the heavier material and buoy it to the lower discharge edge, and means to deflect, and limit the flow of, fluid to an outer zone of said plate.

4. Apparatus of the type described which comprises an annular material-supporting plate of conical curvature having a central discharge opening and a peripheral discharge edge, a scraper movable over the upper surface of said plate to advance material upwardly against the slope of said plate, a distributing plate above said material supporting plate having a discharge edge intermediate the inner and outer edges of said supporting plate, means to feed material over the edge of said feeding plate and means to circulate fluid upwardly and outwardly below and through said supporting plate to buoy the lighter materials thereon upwardly and outwardly toward the lower discharge edge.

5. Apparatus of the type described which comprises an annular material-supporting plate of conical curvature, said plate being perforated to permit the passage of water or fluid therethrough and having a central discharge opening and a lower peripheral discharge edge, a scraper movable over the upper surface of said plate to advance the material against the slope of said plate toward the upper discharge opening, means to circulate the fluid upwardly from the heavier material and downwardly over the lower edge of said plate, means to supply material to be separated by said plate onto the upper surface of said plate, and a deflecting plate flaring upwardly and outwardly below said supporting plate to direct said fluid upwardly and outwardly through said supporting plate.

6. Apparatus of the type described which comprise an annular frusto conical perforated supporting plate having an upper central discharge opening and a peripheral discharge edge, a scraper movable over the upper surface of said plate to advance material upwardly against the slope of said plate to said upper discharge opening, means to supply material to be separated onto the upper surface of said plate, means to circulate fluid upwardly to said plate to overthrow over the lower discharge edge thereof, a downwardly inclined frusto conical b aille below said fluid and extending inwardly from the top edge thereof to a distance short of said central discharge opening, and a deflector plate flaring upwardly and outwardly from said central discharge opening above said bafile plate to direct fluid upwardly and outwardly to said perforated plate to buoy material thereon upwardly and outwardly to the lower discharge edge.

7. The apparatus of claim having means for circulating said fluid intermittently.

8. The apparatus of claim 5 and a piston plate below said perforated supporting plate and reciprocable vertically and valves in said plate and in the circuit of said piston plate to permit fluid to flow upwardly through said plate.

9. Apparatus of the type described which comprises a conical perforated plate having a central discharge opening, a peripheral discharge edge, a spirally extending scraper between said edge and said opening, means to supply material to be separated to said plate, a chamber below said plate, a plunger in said chamber to force liquid in said, plate to overflow downwardly on said plate and return to said chamber, and deflecting plates below said perforate plate to deflect said fluid upwardly and toward the lower edge of said perforate plate.

10. Apparatus of the type described which comprises a plate having an inclined surface, a scraper on said surface and extending vertically upward thereon and movable to push material upwardly on said surface, means to circulate a buoyant fluid upwardly through said plate, means to supply material to be separated to the upper surface of said plate, and means to deflect fluid circulated upwardly through said plate toward the lower end thereof.

11. Apparatus of the type described which comprises a conical perforated plate having an upper central discharge opening and a lower peripheral discharge edge, a spirally extending scraper between said edge and said opening. means to move said scraper to push material upwardly on said plate and inwardly to said central discharge opening, means to supply material to be separated onto said plate, a chamber below said plate, a plunger in said chamber to force liquid upwardly through said plate to overflow downwardly over the peripheral edge thereof and to return to said chamber, and a deflecting plate flaring upwardly and outwardly between said plunger and said perforate plate and to deflect fluid outwardly.

12. Apparatus of the type described which comprises a conical perforated plate having an upper central discharge opening and a lower peripheral discharge edge, a spirally extending scraper between said edge and said opening, means to move said scraper to push material upwardly on said plate inwardly to said central discharge opening, means to supply material to be separated onto said plate, a chamber below said plate, a plunger in said chamber to force liquid upwardly on through said plate to overflow downwardly over the peripheral edge thereof and to return to said chamber, and a deflecting plate flaring upwardly and outwardly between said plunger and said perforate plate and to deflect fluid outwardly, and a baflle plate extending inwardly below .said plate and from the periphery thereof, leaving a passage between said baille and said flaring plate.

13. Apparatus of the type described which comprises a conical perforated plate having an upper central discharge opening and a lower peripheral discharge edge, a scraper on said plate movable to push material upwardly on said plate to said central discharge opening, means to supply material to said plate in a zone intermediate said lower discharge edge and said upper discharge opening, means for forcing a buoying fluid through said perforated plate in a zone including said feeding zone and extending downwardly therefrom and means for preventing flow of fluid through said plate above said zone substantially free from the flow of said buoying fluid.

FRANK PARDEE. 

